The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
by ScottyMcGee
Summary: My own version of Zelda. It's not just a novelization of the game. Be wary, some things I have purposely tweaked, such as the fact that Rauru is the Sage of Light in the game, but here he is the Sage of Time. I hope you all enjoy this. :D :D :D


The Legend of Zelda

_The Ocarina of Time_

_I am Rauru, the Sage of Time. Therefore, I do not intend to make any man laugh when I say I am as old as time itself. I am old enough for my memory to fade, and I cannot tell you where I was born, how I was born, or even from whom I was born. I am Time, and Time is me. I keep track of all that happens in this Land, which was once a sacred land borne from the goddesses I have served._

_I do remember how the lands have peopled since the goddesses inhabited this world. I was chosen by the goddesses to become the Sage of Time, and since them I was given the gift of immortality. _

_In the east, the forests grew. I was sent there to record the nature of the land. The forest is where the fairies come from, where sorcery reigns and mysteries can be found in the deepest of hollows. The Dekus live for such a long time, but not as long as I have. They start out as sprouts, and then when the time comes, they burrow into the ground and become seeds, waiting for the glorious day when they grow into a Deku Tree. _

_In the south, the water is plentiful. The Great Zororian River runs through the plains. I have seen the fish grow into what people now call Zoras. The legend told of a woman who fell in love with a fish. Her love was so great the fish turned into a man, and from them come the Zora Tribe. They are peaceful people, and always invite others into their underwater realm, which very few men have seen._

_In the north, the land is harder and the road is more difficult. The mountains lie there. The goddesses breathed life into the rocks and the boulders, and from there the Goron Tribe came. Massive and powerful, they are ever restless, making bombs, exploding things, and their mountains are always trembling. No man has ever come out alive, and people feared the Gorons. They called it Death Mountain._

_But what of the west? _

_The west is a scoured land; a land that knows nothing but the rules of war and conquest. The Gerudos are scum and villainous. Legend says they fought so much that nature itself dwindled with the explosions, and the desert was born. The women of the Gerudos believed the men to be the cause of all this terror; a gender conflict arose. They killed them all, slew the men in their sleep. It was not long for the women to realize their mistake; their entire race will wipe out in time. To atone for this, they held an age-old tradition to find a man every century and he shall be king for some time. He will repopulate the desert, and if any boy is born the Gerudos shall slay him instantly. _

_And then there were the Hylians._

_Unique in their ability, they were infused with the power of the goddesses themselves. They were the greatest of all beings, with their power and their technology. I have seen their mere town develop into a massive kingdom. I have seen the Great Castle in its state of construction, when the great architect Eldin lived. The Hylians were unlike the humans of other worlds. Their ears were pointed, and some said it was to hear the will of the goddesses. Their fighters, the Sheikah, were the most renown warriors anyone had ever seen, performing feats of magic and uncanny ability that no other mortal could dare possess. Over the ages, the legacy behind their lineage dwindled, and the Hylians become mere denizens of the Land. The Sheikah dwindled as time moved on, and they moved with the wind into myth and legend._

_For a long time I have seen these places thrive. The land became wider, wilder, filled with both terrible and wonderful things. The Hylians became the dominant species, no longer a tribe but a population. They spread their influence to the other tribes, trade was made, and culture was shared. _

_For a long time, the Land was of many banners, but one day, the Great Daphne Nohansen Hyrule brought them all under one banner. From that day forward, the land we now know as Hyrule was established. _

_And yet...not all was at peace._

_The wind blew hot air from the west, a hot air that held the aroma of some Dark Magic, a Dark Magic not known ever before. It turned the hearts of elves into evil. It rose the dead from the ground. It gave birth to a dragon in Death Mountain. It poisoned the Great Lake of the Zoras. And it sucked the forest dry of its sorcery._

_The west will bring about an abomination untold throughout the history of this land, an abomination not even I have seen, but have foreseen. _

_My parting shall be swift, my parting shall be nigh. It is time for the people of Hyrule to take their fate into their own hands. I have been given immortality, but not for long. The appointed time is near. Someone shall take my place, but who that is, I do not know. He will be different. He will travel across many ages and many lands. He was the hero of yesterday, he is the hero of today, and he will be the hero of tomorrow, all at once._

_He was, is, and always will be, the Hero of Time._

* * *

_1) __A Bad Day_

The Man from the West haunted his dreams.

Every night, or at least every night that the poor boy could not sleep, the Man from the West was there. Riding his black horse, charging through the gates of Hyrule castle, the man would almost trample the boy down.

The Man from the West would always halt several feet in front of the boy. He would look down upon him with his menacing glare of his black eyes. His skin was tan, blackened to the crisp by the sun, his clothes were mystical, and at his hip was his sheath.

When the boy looked at him, the words and feelings that were conjured were "hatred," "war," but moreover "power." The Man from the West was a powerful man, a man whom no one could defeat, a man who made the boy cower.

He would leap down from his horse, which was a dead horse, and swing a double-bladed sword at the boy.

At times the dream would end there, but other times the nightmare continued and the boy tried to do something different than the previous time. But no matter where the boy ran, what the boy did, who the boy sought, the Man from the West would be there, and he would bring down his sword and slay him.

And that was how it was to sleep for this poor boy.

He would wake up, startled every time after that dream, thinking his chest was cut open from the horrible sword swipe. He would believe the Man from the West was still there, laughing down at him. He would still feel as if he were standing there before the castle gates, in the middle of a great thunderstorm.

But he was not.

And every time he woke up he was glad the nightmare was not real.

Very calmly he regained his breathing. He felt his pulse, brushed a hand through his blond hair, and unbuttoned his tunic, for he had been perspiring greatly.

The boy would not go back to sleep tonight, no, not tonight. He would stay up until the sun rose above the trees of the Lost Woods, and then stretch across to the Kokiri Forest.

He yawned and stretched. His house was built inside a tree, a simple one-roomed house, in which he had lived for as long as he could remember for ten whole years.

For ten years he had lived in this forest, where the kids never grow up. Where everything was lively and green, where nature thrived and outdoor adventures lasted the whole day. Where the summer was eternal, blissful with ignorance of the outside world of Hyrule. Where the nights were warm not only from nature but from the bonfires and the laughter.

For ten years, this boy had to live through bullying.

He did not have one thing every other Kokiri kid did have.

He did not have a fairy.

No one knew why, and the Great Deku Tree, the guardian of the forest, did not bother to tell this boy why he was not born with a fairy.

The boy tried not to be envious, but he could not help it. He would walk by people with shimmering lights near their heads, talking to them. There were yellow fairies, green fairies, purple, white, blue, and every other color he could think of.

When he walked amongst those gay and lively kids, he could not help but feel alone. Sure a lot of people liked him, Saria, the Twins, the Know-it-all Brothers, and plenty of other kids. But kids like Mido, the village's toughest boy, would remind him every once and a while that he was not worthy of being a Kokiri.

This boy looked around his room at these thoughts, these thoughts that came to him everyday, every morning. Nevertheless he looked fondly at everything and appreciated it. The day was fresh and new despite the nightmare. He was able to tuck it away in his mind easily, just like every other time.

To his right was a bulletin, posted with the greatest fish he had ever caught at the lake. To his left on a table were his mischievous toys, such as his slingshot and his boomerang. The table in the center of the room had gifts that Saria gave him, gifts carved from wood.

He got up and toyed with some of the trinkets, then decided to go outside and watch the sunrise.

The forest was tranquil with no noises anywhere, not even the birds were awake yet.

However, the crickets sang and fireflies danced about, as if knowing this was their last performance of the night until the sun rose.

The boy turned to look at the great tree he lived inside, with carvings of monsters and heroes on the bark. He smirked at them, remembering how at times Saria came over and carved things on the wood with him.

He waited, and he waited, until the sun came up and familiar noises began to fill the forest.

The Kokiri kids woke up early to do their chores, then came the group breakfast, followed by free time, then more work, supper, the group choir, and finally dinner.

But sometimes this particular boy bended the rules a bit. His chores consisted of cutting the grass around the houses, but sometimes he would stand by the window and eavesdrop, or maybe even break a pot using his slingshot, then snickering when someone came in and exclaimed at the mess.

Everyone knew how mischievous and adventurous he acted, yet at the same time how lonely and quiet he was. Very few followed what he did, knowing how much trouble they would get in from the Great Deku Tree.

But only one still liked the way he was, still visited him all the time, and was his first and greatest friend who was, of course, the green-haired girl Saria.

Each morning, Saria would run down the path to this boy's house, shouting his name. Her voice was like that of the most talented choirs, and her face shone as ever radiant as the sun. When the boy met with her, all his sorrows and worries passed away, and all he could think about was her and the times they shared.

He looked down from his balcony and saw her running.

Saria dashed as if she had a purpose, when really it was just to say good morning like every other day.

She finally skidded to a halt at the foot of the tree house, gasping for breath and laughing. She then stood up straight, put her hands on her hips and said, "Link! How come I'm not surprised your up this early? C'mon, you know how much free time we could get if we start early."

Link smiled at Saria, then went inside to take off his pajamas and dress up in the usual, green tunic that everyone wore. He then leaped down the ladder and followed her, already at the other side of the path.

"Marla found a deku scrub the other day, I thought it was the cutest one I ever saw."

"Hm-hm."

"And then later on, right before we were going to go to sleep, she thought she saw a wolf searching for it. She didn't know what it was doing, sniffing around the woods as if trying to find something."

"Hm-hm."

"Link?"

"Hm?"

"You haven't paid attention to a word I said."

Link cut through the high grass with his sword, lost in contemplation. Saria sat on a nearby boulder watching him work.

Link asked, "Saria, do you know what...what lies in the west?"

"Hm-hm," mumbled Saria, rolling her eyes.

Link stopped hacking away and stared at Saria, who was calmly looking at her nails and clearly not paying attention. Link sighed and said, "I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention. Yeah, yeah, the deku scrub and then the wolf, it all sounds very mysterious."

"What did you ask before?"

"What lies in the west?"

Saria thought looking up at the sky. She seemed as if she had an answer, but then shrugged. "No idea."

Link resumed cutting the grass, but then paused again. "Do you think the Great Deku Tree knows?"

"I dunno, why?"  
"Just wondering."  
"You do that a lot, you know. Wondering."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Depends."

Link hacked some more of the high grass. "I hope it's a good thing."

"Well, you get into a lot of trouble, so if you continue using it in your mischievous ways, then it's not. But I have faith in you, Link."

Link stopped cutting. He looked at her. "You do?"

"Yes," she said, nodding.

"Promise me you will."

"I will."

"Good."

* * *

Link's daily routine continued in silence. The dew from the morning was just beginning to rise, as well as the mist. Visibility now stretched across to the village as the sun burned away the mist. One by one the house doors opened and kids walked outside to greet each other. Those that still snoozed in bed were rudely awakened by the loud rapping on their doors. Everyone was to get up immediately and start the day, just like it had for hundreds of years for the Kokiri.

By the time everyone began work, Link and Saria were already done with theirs. They greeted good morning to their usual friends, all except Mido, who watched everyone work with his arms akimbo.

Saria insisted that she and Link walk into the Lost Woods and find the deku scrub from before. Link went back home to fetch his wooden shield. When he came back Saria pointed at it and told him he did not need it. Link merely shrugged.

Link was told as a child, as well as every other Kokiri, never to stay in the Lost Woods for too long. If they did, the curse of the Skull Child would take over them, an they would not be Kokiri anymore, but something else. If they left the forest and went up the road into Hyrule, they would decompose down to their bare bones, and they would become Stalchilds.

Link had never seen nor heard directly of any Kokiri being delivered this awful fate. He was frightened as a child of these folklores, but as time came by he was relieved by two things: his curiosity of the outside world and Saria's constant adventures in the Lost Woods.

Saria had shown him the Lost Woods so many times that they were no longer "Lost" to him.

There was a clear, icy pool far off, and that was where Saria and Link talked to each other almost every day.

Link cherished those thoughts.

The deeper they went into the woods, the stronger the mist flowed around them. In the first few days that Saria brought Link, he was always on the edge, ready to unsheathe his Kokiri sword, but Saria always laughed at him.

Now, Link had learned to be more composed, yet he still carried his weapons with him everywhere he went.

Along the way she tapped his shoulder and said, "Listen, I made this song the other day."

From her pocket, she produced a small, beige and oval instrument: the Fairy Ocarina. Link watched attentively as she tried to remember the tune as she went along.

The melody was joyful, and at the same time peaceful. The kind of melody that sounded jumpy on the ocarina, and yet flowingly beautiful if played with an orchestra.

The song echoed throughout the woods. Around the trees, through the leaves, into grottoes, across the lake, up high in the sky.

Link watched with awe as the tune kept playing even when Saria stopped playing. She too felt strange hearing the song wander off, dancing through the woods, until finally, peacefully, it died off.

"Wow," was all Link could say.

"It's only a small tune, but I think it's nice, don't you?"  
Link nodded.

Saria played it again, and they walked on with her music bringing life to the woods. Link could see it, the magic that was in the notes. Deku scrubs scurried out of their grottoes to peek at her, birds looked over curiously, and even owls poked out of their hollows.

At last they arrived at the pool, and so they sat down and watched the fish, hand in hand.

They had little to say, because after all they were only kids, and love was but a blind, unknowable subject to the Kokiri.

They listened to the trees, and Saria told Link to hear the Deku Trees whispering to each other. They groaned and moaned, and whispered with their leaves. Link squinted and could see the faces of the trees just barely, with their wrinkles and peeling bark.

Saria told him to watch the fish, and how a big one made a funny face. She told him that an owl up there was looking down at them.

And then, after some time had passed and her observations died down, she told him to be his friend forever.

"Could you do that for me, Link?"

"Yes, yes, Saria. I would do anything for you."

"Promise me though. I'm not joking."

"Neither am I. I will always be your friend."

The frogs croaked somewhere in the lily pads. "Always?"

The fairies fluttered in the mist. "Yes, always."

Link was tempted to sleep. The forest did that to him if he stayed too long. The magic of the forest made one drowsy, hypnotized. His friends said that if he slept underneath a willow tree, the Great Fairy will come to him when he wakes.

He did not need any Great Fairy.

He had Saria.

Before Link could doze off, his ears twitched.

His hand impulsively grabbed his sword, his eyes wide open.

Saria turned. "What's wrong?"

Link listened closely.

The dancing lights of the fairies diminished. The owl that Saria had seen had gone into its hollow. The frogs ceased their croaking.

After some time, Saria too noticed this and held her breath.

Link slowly turned his head behind them.

It was a gruesome sight that lasted for several seconds. The deku scrub, a once naive and lively creature, was being eaten by a wolf. When the wolf noticed the two kids were staring, it stopped shaking the deku scrub and glared at them.

Its eyes were abnormal. Instead of regular black eyes, they were purple and hazy. They pierced into their minds, and Link could feel a darkness surrounding the beast.

Meanwhile, the deku scrub was screeching, green ooze spilling from its snout.

Link could not take it and approached the wolf.

Saria made a move to stop him but withdrew.

The wolf tightened its jaws, causing the scrub to squeal. It writhed maniacally, its stumpy feet flailing.

Link took another step and the wolf responded by backing away slowly. When he revealed his sword the wolf dropped the deku scrub and scampered off, howling away into the woods.

It took a while for Saria to regain herself. She breathed regularly and held Link. He still had his sword unsheathed in case any other unpleasant surprises came up.

Saria finally had the strength to talk.

"W, why did that happen?"

Link eyed every corner of the woods. There was something strange that had never happened before...something that felt as if it had awakened for the first time...some evil scent within the misty Lost Woods. He felt as if things were looking down on them. Not people, not birds, not monkeys, nor any other familiar animal. But _things._

He looked up, but nothing was there.

The feeling went away and he sheathed his sword back in.

Saria held onto Link the entire way back.

"Link?"

"Yes?"

"Things are changing, Link."

"Is that why you asked me to be your friend forever?"  
"Yes, Link. That is why. I want you to be my friend no matter what happens."

Link was confused. "What will happen?"

Saria never answered.

* * *

By mid-day, Link's thoughts were troubling him. He could not ask the Great Deku Tree about it, both because he was nervous and because Mido did not let him through, still slandering Link as a stranger to the Kokiri.

Mido was far older and taller than Link, as well as meaner and stronger. Even with his sword and his shield, Link felt nothing compared to his lifetime bully. Without them, he felt naked. Either way, he was still intimidated physically and mentally. It had been driven into his brain ever since Mido first taunted him, and since then Link had been paranoid of what others had thought of him. Therefore, he spoke little and revealed himself little.

Link decided to visit the Know-it-All-Brothers. At least there was the slightest relief to his problems.

He walked through the curtained entranced and, like ever other time he visited here, gawked at the otherworldly artifacts and things from the outside world. This was the only taste of Hyrule the Kokiri kids ever got.

The Brothers were not home, and so Link decided to wait for them. He looked around at the Hylian shields, swords, pots, bows, and supplies. There were even potions, but with warning labels on them. Link stared inside the red and blue jars, eager to see what happened if one drank from it.

However, from all the interesting things that made one's eye curious, none came as close as a certain shield hung up on the wall, just barely high enough for Link to reach and take down.

The shield was in perfect condition and polished around every edge. On it were symbols that made Link even more curious as to what it stood for.

On the top were three triangles, placed together to make one big triangle with an empty one in the center. Below this triangle was a red symbol of what looked like a falcon spreading its wings.

Link surveyed the house.

No one was looking.

A smirk curved around his lips and he very slowly took down the blue shield.

He did not realize how heavy it was until it was too late. The shield thumped loudly on the floor and almost hit his feet. He tried lifting it but with no avail.

Link took off his old wooden shield and replaced it with the metal one, strapping it tightly to his baldric.

Despite the weight, Link could still walk with the enormous shield on his back. He searched for a mirror and found one at the far end of the house. He stood up to it, then very proudly did a stance as if standing before a crowd.

He was convinced that the shield made him look courageous.

"That's one-hundred rupees kid."

Link swerved and smiled. Three brothers, one short, one average and one tall, came into the room and set down their work tools.

The taller one, Kip, walked up to Link and saw his reflection in the mirror.

"Looks kinda...big...doesn't? I doubt you can lift that."  
Link shrugged. "So what? I can always do this." He ducked and the shield acted like a turtle's shell. The two brothers laughed.

"What brings you here, Link?" asked the shorter brother, Tali.

Link grunted as he took down the shield. He took a breath and sat down. The three brothers exchanged glances, realizing Link looked troubled.

The average one, Farin, was pudgy and did not say much, for he was the youngest. He was disinterested in what was going on and headed upstairs to his room.

Kip was about to put the shield back up when Link asked, "Where did that come from?"

Kip looked at the symbols on the shield before lifting it up. "I think Tali knows about this, right Tali?"

"Right you are, Kip."

Link focused on Tali then.

Tali said, "That is a Hylian shield, finest quality."

Link sighed. "Well I know it's from Hyrule, obviously."

"Hey, hey, we're the ones who know it all. Anyways, it was used, or maybe is still used, by the king's guards. Not only that, but the same guards who guard the beautiful little princess." said Tali, in a mocking tone at the end.

"What's the king's name?" asked Link.

Tali said proudly with a king's stance, "Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule! Founder of the kingdom and warrior over the moblins who once dominated this land in darkness!"

Kip was polishing the shield. He shook his head in dismay at his brother, grinning.

"The queen?" asked Link, further curious.

Tali took over yet again. "Lorana Johansen Hyrule! The wisdom of Hyrule, the fairest woman of them all!" Tali jumped down from the table and whispered slyly, "Some say she's even a Great Fairy, or else she wouldn't have produced such a beautiful princess."

Link's eyes lit up. "There's a princess?"

"Well of course, Link!," cried Tali. "There has to be a successor!"

"Who is she?"

Kip stopped polishing, trying to remember the name. He took one last look at the shield and it popped into his head. He said quietly, "Zelda."

Link contemplated on the name. He then whispered it. "Zelda."

Tali nodded. "It's a nice name."

"Zelda..." whispered Link.

"But something tells me you're not here to talk about boring Hyrule politics and its royal family are you, Link?" said Kip.

The two brothers now stood before Link. The latter looked up at them worried, trying to phrase his question. He then asked, "Why would a wolf kill a deku scrub?"

Tali laughed and slapped his knees. "Why would someone ask such a stupid question?"

Kip nudged his brother and told him to stop. Tali just laughed.

Kip said, "That's impossible. There's no violence in the Lost Woods, we all know that."

"No, no, but let's say...um...what IF it happened?"

"Ah," said Tali, "a 'what if' question!"

The two brothers thought hard. Tali shrugged and gave up. "I'm gonna go put these tools in the back, you guys."  
The house was silent as the two more mature kids thought it over.

"Maybe...the scrub stole something from the wolf," suggested Kip.

"Like what? Wolves don't have belongings."

"I dunno, Link, I dunno." Kip shook his head. "You always come here asking questions about the strangest things, you know that?" He went over to the shelves and started cleaning. "Last time you came here you asked us if we knew if dragons existed. Dragons, Link. _Dragons. _Who cares about dragons? We live here, in the forest, we should be glad those things don't come here."

"Well, I don't think--"

"And what about the time you thought you saw a ghost in the Lost Woods?"

"Well, that time was--"

"And what about when you stabbed poor Digg's scarecrow in the middle of the night 'cus you thought it was a giant lizard?"

"Hey now, that scarecrow was scary, but--"

Kip laughed and said, "Link, look at yourself for a minute."

"Kip--"

"Just look at yourself. You have a sword strapped on your back along with a wooden shield, there's a boomerang in your pocket, I just know it, and there's also a slingshot strapped on your right side. You look like you're ready for war."

"Well..."

"Link, listen, calm down. There are wolves roaming around all over the Lost Woods. What you saw probably had a perfectly normal explanation. Even though technically things like that are not supposed to happen. There was a reason behind it, and whatever it was you don't know, so just live with it."

Link muttered, "That's what they all say." He began to leave the house but turned and said, "Well just ask Saria, she was there. Whatever is happening around here feels bad, I've got a very bad feeling all the sudden about everything."

"Well take your bad feelings somewhere else. Maybe that's why Mido picks on you."  
When Link stepped outside it was the speak of the devil, for Mido was right there waiting for him, along with a group of his cronies.

There was an awkward moment as Link stepped into them, watching them lay heavy eyes on him. He ignored them and walked the other way.

Mido turned and shouted, "Where you going, Cucco?"  
Link kept walking.

"Hey, Cucco! I'm talking to you!"

Link did not stay outdoors the whole day, not until it was time for the nightly choir to begin. He sighed heavily and kept his sword and shield at home, then trudged along the path to the dancing lights in the village square.

As usual, people danced around clapping to the music. In the very center was a bright campfire where those who did not dance instead cooked meals for the feast. Link looked around at all the noise and laughter. He lowered his cap snugged tightly over his head as if to be unseen. He then walked to the sidelines of the gathering and sat down on a tree stump, away from everyone.

He watched the Know-it-All Brothers dance together, with everyone watching and clapping to the rhythm. On another side was Marla and Saria chatting with other girls, most likely gossiping. To his left were some of the boys, including Digg and Mido, all of them causing some sort of mischief.

Link leaned back comfortably in the bench. Several times someone came by dancing and greeted Link. He in return gave a fake smile and laugh.

Link hugged his knees, gazing into the campfire.

In it he saw magic, he saw deku scrubs and wolves, dragons and knights, gods and goddesses, men and monsters. The fairies danced around the campfire and sprinkled magic into it, creating imagines within the embers.

He felt a wave of sleepiness take over him.

"Hey, Link! Look what we got!"

Link woke up and looked for the voice. Barin, one of the boys, was handing people bottles of milk. He came to Link and tossed him one.

"From Lon Lon Ranch! Finally! Their caravan got here yesterday."  
Barin soon left and Link was once again alone, this time with a milk bottle.

He grimaced at the cover, which was a caricature of a cow saying the brand name.  
With a shrug he popped the cork open and drank it.

"Alright everyone! Everyone!"

He looked ahead at Saria standing on a table, calming everyone down. When all the Kokiri boys and and girls looked up at her she continued, "Now it's time for the annual Talent Show. Everyone who wants to show off his or her talent get whatever you need and come up here!"

There was a clamor of excitement, followed by people asking others, "Should I do it? Want me to go up there?"

Link smirked and watched; this was going to be interesting.

First was Saria, of course, who played her ocarina so well that only a true musician could. At the first notes of the ocarina, the campfire exploded into a display of fairies. The Kokiri awed at the lights. After some time, they danced to the tune, but complained when she ended it quickly and allowed someone else to the stand.

Barin came and juggled for everyone. At first he started with small rocks, then told people to throw random objects at him and he amazingly juggled it along. Mido took it to the extreme and threw a chair. Barin fell over and Mido's gang laughed out loud. Saria said, "C'mon, guys!" while rolling her eyes. Barin simply ignored the incident and shrugged it off with a laugh.

Next was Marla, then Digg, then Mido, Tali and Kip and Farin, and practically every boy and girl went up to the stand and did something.

All except Link.

He smiled at everyone's talent, but frowned and started to leave for bed. He knew he was not to be included; he never was. But that did not bother him, for he frankly did not like living in the forest all his life.

Amidst the excitement, Saria glanced over her shoulder and saw Link walk alone, down the long , lonely, dirt road to his house.

Saria smiled and whispered to herself, "Oh Link, you're so silly." She then cupped her hands together and cried out, "Hey everyone! Link is going to perform!"  
The kids raised their bottles and cheered in unison, "Link!"

"Link! Where are ya?"

"Where is he?"  
"There he is!"

"Link!"

Link turned around and was taken by a mass of jolly kids and brought over back to the table. He wobbled a bit when he got on, and then he froze.

A dozen brimming faces looked up at him and clamored together.

"What ya gonna do Link?"

"Yeah! What ya gonna do?"

Link's eyes shifted. The pressure was on him like a dozen wolves surrounding him. "I'm um..."

He looked to Saria for help. She yelled, "He's going to shoot things with his slingshot!"

"Yay!"

"Show us your slingshot, Link!"

Link sighed and took it out. "Alright..."

He held it in trembling hands. He sought for someone far away that he could aim perfectly at to amaze everyone.

Up above in someone's tree house, Link barely managed to focus on something scurrying; it was a skulltula, a nasty skulled spider.

He grinned and aimed. His stage-fright was suddenly overcome by confidence. He managed to tune out to the clamor around him and focus solely on the villainous sider.

Everyone turned to look at what he aimed at.

Link took several seconds to predict the skulltula's movements. Then, he let the seed in the slingshot fly away.

SNAP!

Everyone gasped and clapped. The skulltula's shell cracked, then went limp and fell down.

"Another! Another!"

Link aimed for someone's pot inside a house, through a very small window. The kids doubted he could make it, but sure enough, after he fired the seed there was a crash of pottery.

"Amazing!"

"Do one more!"

By now, the Kokiri kids were up in arms at Link's talent. Link's smirk became a smile, and he subconsciously found himself laughing, loving the gathering. He glanced down at Saria, and she too was smiling at him.

Far away was Digg's scarecrow. He aimed straight for the head.

The hit was so hard that the head came off completely. Everyone cheered and rooted for Link.

Link felt his confidence boosting, aiding him in his aim.

Meanwhile, a sneaky and angry Mido slowly walked closer to the table Links stood on. Mido glanced back at his gang; they snickered in return.

Mido waited patiently for Link to fire. The split second before Link did so, Mido nudged the table. It was a simple nudge that caused Link to fire off target.

A girl screamed.

Link gasped.

Everyone did so simultaneously.

The fairies fluttering and the dancing figures ceased in the campfire.

Mido was sly and acted amongst the crowd in astonishment.

Marla was on the ground, holding her left eye and crying. All around her were her fellow girls helping her up and inspecting the hit.

The party went from murmurs of excitement to murmurs of contempt.

All around Link people glared at him. He raised his hands defensively and was going to protest when someone shouted, "What are ya trying to pull?"

"Why'd you hit her?"

"Guys, wait, the table—it went--"  
"Liar!" cried Mido. He moved his way through the throng and pointed at Link. "I saw the whole thing myself! I was standing right next to him! He made it look it was an accident by shaking the table with his feet!"

"Link!" gasped Kip.

"No, but it was--"

"Get down from there, Cucco!" cried Mido. He kicked the table and Link toppled over, right into the mud.

The mob of cries turned into a roar of laughter.

Link panicked. He was at the center of attention, but this time in a very negative way. He looked around and all he could see were jeering faces and pointing fingers. He tried to talk but the laughter drowned it out.

Where was Saria? She would be here to help him in no time!

But the crowd was so big, so big that it frightened Link.

"Look at him!" cried Mido. "He ain't no Kokiri! He ain't got no fairy! No fairy! No fairy!"

"No fairy! No fairy!" chanted the Kokiri.

Link's eyes swelled.

Without bothering to clean himself up, he scampered to his feet and made a dash to the woods, where no Kokiri was allowed to cross the bridge into the Hyrule field, where no one could cross and bother him, where he could be alone and safe.

All he could hear behind him was Mido's taunt, the same taunt that Link had been given for as long as he lived with the Kokiris.

"He has no fairy! He ain't a fairy boy! He's a cucco!"

"He has no fairy!"

"He ain't got no fairy!"

No fairy.

No fairy...

He's not one of us.


End file.
